The image of a town centre: a retail perspective

Retail image has received considerable attention in the academic literature in recent years, its influence on consumer behaviour demonstrated extensively in contexts such as stores, brands, shopping malls and tourist destinations. It is therefore surprising that the study of retail image in a town centre has been neglected. Town centres, since time immemorial existing as markets facilitating the exchange of goods, have throughout history been of significant importance to local and national economies. Yet academic interest in consumers choice of town centres, and particularly their image perceptions of these locations, has only been stimulated in response to competition from the development of purpose-built shopping malls. Research into town centres as distinct locations has been extremely limited. The research reported in this thesis has studied town centre image as a specific retail location. In doing so, the research has also addressed a further limitation in the retail image literature. Researchers have pointed to the limited theoretical development in retail image studies, and particularly to the discrepancy between image conceptualisation and its operationalisation. Image is conceptualised as having both tangible qualities and an aura of psychological attributes (Martineau, 1958), but its measurement has focussed almost exclusively on its physical properties, ignoring the less tangible elements which it is hypothesised to contain. As a consequence of adopting a theoretical approach to town centre image, this research has for the first time developed a model of town centre image which addresses both its tangible and intangible qualities, and which comprises three dimensions: functional, experiential and symbolic. The model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling based on a survey of 816 consumers in three town centres. Analysis of the results suggests that consumers perceive town centre image as a higher order construct consisting of these three dimensions, and that their image perceptions focus on top-level salient aspects of the retail provision, together with feelings, emotions, and subjective attitudes towards the town centre. It is suggested that this conceptualisation provides a more accurate measure of consumer perceptions of town centre image for future academic researchers and for practitioners, particularly as town centres are currently the focus of government policy to support their continuing preservation as important local and national economic drivers

Employer perceptions of skills gaps in retail:issues and implications for UK retailers

Purpose – This paper seeks to identify the skills gaps associated with retail employees in SME and multiple retail companies, and to investigate the potential training and business implications that arise from these skills gaps, from the point of view of retail employers. Design/methodology/approach – Research was conducted within one geographical region and across five counties within the UK. Telephone and face-to-face interviews and focus group workshops were conducted, resulting in responses from 52 retailers. Findings – The key issues and areas of concern to emerge were: the industry image and impact on recruitment and retention; employee and management skills gaps; and barriers to training. Research limitations/implications – The findings highlight the need for UK retail industry to raise the image of the sector, to identify the skills sets for specific roles, and to clarify the retail qualifications and training required delivering these. Originality/value – Succeeds in identifying the skills gaps associated with retail employees in SME and multiple retail companies and in investigating the potential training and business implications arising from these skills gaps

The customer experience of town centres

The UK’s shoppers have not yet deserted their local High Street. But once consumers no longer achieve what they want in town centre visits, its oft-predicted death is liable to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The High Street is likely to survive only for as long as consumers enjoy the town centre customer experience. This is the stark message that emerges from our research. The growth of out-of-town stores, the convenience of supermarkets and the rise of online retailing have not yet delivered a fatal blow to the town centre, but the window of opportunity to ensure that most people still continue to shop in the heart of their own communities is becoming smaller. By tracking shoppers over a period of time, thus producing a uniquely detailed picture of consumer behaviour, we have shown that the town centre is still the UK’s favourite shopping destination. In other words, despite mounting competition, the High Street retains our patronage. This in itself is hugely significant, but it is no cue for complacency – quite the opposite. It is a cue for action. The fact remains that the town centre is only just ahead of the supermarkets as the closest competitor, while online retailing, although attracting fewer visits, already generates more spending. The competition is intensifying and it will only increase with advances in mobile technology. Crucially, our study provides a comprehensive analysis of how and why consumers use the town centre. For the first time we have been able to break down the consumer “journey” to identify town centre “touch points”; the key moments of interaction with the retail environment, to develop a much more precise and nuanced understanding of what makes people come back, what compels them to go elsewhere, what they value and what they dislike. This unprecedented insight into the customer experience, drawn from both quantitative and qualitative data, highlights the enormous challenges and opportunities that now confront town centres. Perhaps most importantly, it offers empirical proof that it is the town centre customer experience, above all, that translates into greater consumer spend. Consequently, we argue that it is by developing the fullest possible understanding of the customer experience and using it to attract customers to visit and return, that our town centres are most likely to survive. Ultimately, although they may be acutely aware of its failings, UK consumers still want their town centres to work. This study explains how and why the customer experience is key to granting them their wish. We hope our findings and recommendations will help to make the necessary transformation possible

Enjoyment of the shopping experience:impact on customers’ repatronage intentions and gender influence

In this paper the authors investigate enjoyment of the shopping experience, its influence on consumers’ intention to repatronise a regional shopping centre and the effect of gender differences on shopping enjoyment. Four dimensions of shopping enjoyment are proposed and a 16-item measure is developed to assess 536 consumer perceptions of the shopping experience across five counties in the United Kingdom. Findings indicate that shopping experience enjoyment has a significant positive influence upon customers’ repatronage intentions. Furthermore, men are found to have a stronger relationship of enjoyment with repatronage than women. The implications of these results are discussed, together with managerial implications, study limitations, and future research directions